Device for de-rinding trimming a piece of meat or a piece of slaughtered animal

ABSTRACT

A device and a method are proposed for de-rinding or trimming a piece of meat or piece of a slaughtered animal, in which an arrangement device for the arrangement of the piece, an industrial robot with a manipulator arm and a sensor system, which detects the part that is to be separated, are provided. The sensor system comprises a camera and an image processing system as well as, if necessary, a distance measuring system, which determines the distance between a predefined zero point and a measuring point on the surface of the piece. Further, a cutting tool is provided, which separates the part from the piece.

STATE OF THE ART

The invention relates to a device and a method for de-rinding or trimming a piece of meat or a piece of a slaughtered animal in accordance with the generic term of claim 1

In the processing of a piece of meat or a piece of a slaughtered animal skin, fat, muscles, tendons and rind are removed. If the piece of meat has a relatively uniform thickness, the de-rinding and skinning can take place by means of a machine with the help of a skinning, fleecing and/or de-rinding device. For example, this holds true for a boned belly of pork. The remnants of fat which are left over in the automatic processing of a meat plate or the remnants of meat which are left over in the automatic processing of a plate have up to now been removed by hand. The processor must distinguish between muscle meat and fat. At the edges of the boned belly of pork there are frequently skin folds present. Due to the irregular thickness a post-processing by hand is also necessary at these places. This processing by hand is not only time-consuming and costly, but rather is also connected with a danger of injury for the processor.

The rinding of a boned pork has up to this point also occurred partially by hand. The ham with the foot or the shoulder with the ribs is removed by a processor by hand and guided to the blade of a rinding machine. In the process the ham must be aligned in such a way that the blade can grip the rind during the cutting. As soon as the blade has penetrated the rind, the ham is pressed against and turned to the blade by means of rollers. This represents a high risk of injury for the processor in particular in the region of his hands. In addition processing by hand is connected with high expenses.

THE INVENTION AND ITS ADVANTAGES

In contrast to this the device of the invention with the features of claim 1 has the advantage that the parts to be separated are detected by a sensor system. For this purpose a camera with an image processing system and perhaps additionally a distance measuring system are provided. The camera and the image processing system record the coordinates of the part to be separated in particular at its surface in two or three dimensions. The distance between the surface and the manual manipulator arm of the robot can be recorded with the image processing system or with a distance measuring system. Therewith the coordinates of the surface of the part to be separated can be completely recorded. These recorded data are processed by microprocessors into signals. The signals steer either a cutting tool or a gripper on a manual manipulator arm of an industrial robot. The manipulator arm guides the cutting tool to the piece, which is either resting or moving at a constant speed. With the help of the cutting tool the parts are separated from the piece. The manual manipulator arm equipped with a gripper receives the piece and guides it to a stationary cutting tool. In the process the gripper aligns the piece in such a way that the part can be separated by the cutting tool.

A post-processing by hand is not necessary. To make absolute certain that the parts have been completely separated, the piece can be examined again after processing with the help of the camera and the image processing system. If there are still remnants on the piece, the cutting tool is activated again. The control of the manual manipulator arm takes place with the help of a computer.

Using the device of the invention areas of meat pieces or pieces of slaughtered animals can be processed which are irregularly formed or only accessible with difficulty and which thus up to now could only be processed by hand. The camera and the image processor are used to distinguish between the parts to be separated and the surroundings. The foodstuff pieces processed with the device of the invention can undergo further processing or packaging after separation of the undesirable pieces.

The industrial robot can either be a robot with a manipulator arm with several degrees of freedom or it can be a Scara robot with a manipulator arm. In the case of the latter robot, the number of degrees of freedom is lower, but is sufficient depending on the application.

One advantageous design of the invention provides a sender, a receiver and an evaluation unit. The determination of the distance takes place in a non-contact manner. In the process the sender and receiver can use optical or acoustical signals. For example, a laser range finder can be used. If the surface of the piece to be processed is nearly level, it is sufficient to determine the distance between a zero point and a measuring point at the surface of the piece in the range of the part to be separated. This holds true for example with a boned belly of pork. The manipulator arm with the cutting tool is then moved a distance a which is determined from the measured distance, at the surface of the piece. Finally the cutting tool is moved in an area above the surface of the piece, which corresponds to the part that is to be separated determined with the help of the camera and the image processing system. In the process the cutting tool is driven in such a way that the part is cut off from the piece. The parts that are to be separated can be remnants of meat or fat, which remain on the surface during the mechanical de-rinding. Such remnants have, up to now, been removed by hand with the help of a trimmer. Such trimmers are knives with a circular rotating blade with a cutting depth setting. Such a knife can be provided on the manipulator arm for the removal of remnants. Since the red muscle meat and the white fat differ from each other sufficiently in color, the areas can be differentiated from each other with the help of the camera and the image processing system. The thickness of the area can be determined at least approximately from the size of the areas to be separated. The cutting depth is adjusted in accordance with the thickness. The manipulator arm equipped with a trimmer moves along the surface and separates the remnants from the piece.

A disk-shaped rotating blade can also be used in place of a trimmer with a circular blade. In addition, other knives which perform oblique shearing or which are operated at a sawing motion are possible.

A further advantageous design of the invention provides three senders and one receiver, in order to determine the distance between three measuring points and one prescribed zero point. If the surface of the piece is not level, as for example is the case with the outward pointing surface of a slaughtered animal half, it is not sufficient to determine the distance between the surface and a zero point. It is necessary to determine the shape of the piece at the area that is to be processed. This takes place by means of determining the distance between three measuring points and one zero point. In the process, the three measuring points must not be located on a line. The rise and fall in the examined area can be determined from these data. This results in not only the distance which the cutting tool must travel to the surface of the piece but also in the angle under which the cutting tool must be applied at the surface. Such processing is, for example, necessary for de-rinding along the cutting lines of a half of a slaughtered pig. Along the cutting lines the slaughtered animal is divided into several larger pieces. Up to now the belly of pork is not flayed until after the removal of the bones. However, this has the disadvantage that the edges of the belly of pork exhibit skin folds and therefore cannot be completely de-rinded/flayed by machine. There are always skin remnants on the edges. Using the invention's device the pork halves can be flayed along the cutting lines prior to further cutting and removal of the bones of the belly of pork. The cutting lines that delimit the belly of pork, where skin folds occur, are located at the shoulder and above the hind leg. In order to flay in these regions, the suspended half of the slaughtered animal is attached to a plate with the help of clips. The plate is of a color that differs greatly from the color of the pork, for example blue. With the help of the camera and the image processing system the regions that are to be processed are detected using the outlines of the pork half. Using the data from the range measurement the cutting tool, a de-rinding device, is guided to the surface and attached under the determined angle at the surface. In guiding the de-rinding device above the surface of the slaughtered animal the angle is, if necessary, to be varied corresponding to the shape of the surface.

The shape of the surface can also be determined with a camera and an image processor instead of using a distance measuring system.

The de-rinding and skinning device can be a mobile device, as used to flay by hand. In addition it is possible to use a stationary de-rinding and skinning device, which is guided to the piece with the help of a gripper. This is not appropriate in the case of a slaughtered animal half, however stationary de-rinding devices are suitable for belly pieces, hams or shoulders that have already been boned. The skinning and derinding devices are based on the principle that above a drawing roller a processing material is pressed against a blade and moved toward the blade. In the process, the part of the processing material located between the blade and the drawing roller is cut off. The thickness of the layer that has been cut off can be predefined by the distance between the drawing roller and the blade. Depending on the thickness and type of layer that has been cut off, one speaks of de-rinding, skinning or fleecing.

To de-rind a ham with feet or a shoulder with ribs the piece is aligned on a base support in a predefined position. Using the camera and the image processing system the rind and the position where the blade of a de-rinding device can be attached, are determined. Then a gripper arranged on the manipulator arm of the industrial robot grips the piece and feeds it to a stationary de-rinding device. As soon as the blade of the derinding device has penetrated the rind, the piece is transported with the help of the drawing roller. The gripper can therefore disengage from the piece and does not pick it up again until the de-rinding has been completed.

A further advantageous design of the invention provides a conveyor belt as an arrangement device. It serves the purpose of transporting the piece from one processing station to the next. The piece lying on the conveyor belt can be analyzed by the sensor system, which is located above. For this purpose the transport can be paused. The manipulator arm of the industrial robot holds or processes the piece. If the piece remains on the conveyor belt during the processing, it can be further transported on the conveyor belt after conclusion of the processing.

A further advantageous design of the invention provides a suction device, which suctions the parts that have been cut off. The parts can subsequently be collected and if necessary processed.

In accordance with a further advantageous design of the invention the industrial robot is equipped with a cleaning device. For example, the cleaning device can be a steam cleaning device with a spray lance. Therewith the device can itself perform a cleaning of its parts that come into contact with the foodstuff pieces as well as the surroundings.

Further advantages and advantageous designs in the invention can be inferred from the claims.

All features of the invention can be essential to the invention both individually as well as in random combination with one another. 

1. Device for cutting one or more parts of a meat piece or a piece of slaughtered animal, comprising: an arrangement device for the piece an industrial robot with a manipulator arm a sensor system adapted to detect coordinates of the a part to be separated, said coordinates defining a surface of the piece of meat, said sensor system comprises a camera and an image processing system, and a cutting tool adapted to separate the part from the piece.
 2. Device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor system further comprises a distance measuring system, measuring system adapted to determine the distance between a predefined zero point and a measuring point on the surface of the piece.
 3. Device according to claim 2, wherein the distance measuring system comprises a sender, a receiver and an evaluation unit.
 4. Device according to claim 2, wherein the distance measuring system comprises three senders and receivers adapted to determine in a non-contact manner of the distance between a the zero point and three measuring points on the surface of the piece.
 5. Device according to claim 3, wherein the sender comprises an optical or acoustical sender and the receiver comprises an optical or acoustical receiver.
 6. Device according to claim 1, wherein the cutting tool comprises a skinning and/or de-rinding device.
 7. Device according to claim 1, wherein the cutting tool is provided on the manipulator arm.
 8. Device according to claim 7, wherein the cutting tool comprises a knife.
 9. Device according to claim 8, wherein the knife exhibits a circular or disk-shaped rotating blade.
 10. Device according to claim 1 wherein the arrangement device comprises a conveyor belt.
 11. Device according to claim 1 wherein the arrangement device comprises a plate and several clips for attachment of the piece to the plate.
 12. Device according to claim 11, wherein the plate exhibits a color different from the color of the piece.
 13. Device according to claim 6, wherein the arrangement device comprises a conveyor belt, the cutting tool is a stationary skinning or de-rinding device and the device further comprises a gripper is provided on the industrial robot, said gripper adapted to pick up the piece of meat from the conveyor belt and to feed the piece to the cutting tool.
 14. Device according to claim 1 further comprising a suction device adapted to suction the separated part. 15-17. (canceled)
 18. Device according to claim 2 wherein the cutting tool is provided on the manipulator arm.
 19. Device according to claim 18 wherein the arrangement device comprises a conveyor belt.
 20. Device according to claim 18 further comprising a suction device adapted to suction the separated part.
 21. Device according to claim 19 further comprising a suction device adapted to suction the separated part.
 22. Device according to claim 11 further comprising a suction device adapted to suction the separated part.
 23. Device according to claim 13 further comprising a suction device adapted to suction the separated part. 